1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of shade structures, particularly umbrella and parasol devices and more particularly to an umbrella or parasol with an adjustable tilt feature.
2. Description of the Related Art
Umbrellas or parasols are devices which are typically utilized in an outdoor setting, such as in an outdoor patio, balcony, garden, cafe, and the like to provide shade and protection against the elements. Umbrellas or parasols generally include a canopy assembly that is frequently generally circular and which comprises fabric-like material mounted over a plurality of support ribs. The support ribs can be collapsed into a storage position for the canopy and can be deployed and supported in position to hold up and extend the fabric canopy and thereby provides shade and protection from the elements. The canopy assembly is generally supported above users of the umbrella or parasol, generally either by support structures that extend from the ground to underneath the canopy assembly, or by support structures that extend to above the canopy assembly and support it from above. Such suspended umbrellas have the advantage of providing space below the canopy where people can sit without the obstruction of a pole extending from below the canopy to the ground.
One consideration in the use and design of umbrellas or parasols is that the incident sunlight and environmental elements which the users may wish to be shielded against, for example rain which may be wind-driven, is subject to change. As another example, the incident angle of sunlight changes throughout the course of a day as the sun traverses across its daily path. Similarly, wind can come from any direction and can cause rain to fall from a variety of directions other than generally vertically. Thus, in many applications, it is a desirable feature that an umbrella or parasol assembly be provided with some sort of adjustment or variable positioning to accommodate such shifts in the direction of sun, wind and weather generally.
For example, Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0069333 A1 listing Ma as inventor discloses an umbrella in which a shade canopy is suspended from a side arm that is mounted to a side post. The side arm, and thereby the canopy, can be rotated between specific positions by means of a drive bar that can be manipulated to both rotate the side arm and latch it in one of the positions. Thus, while this design provides some ability to tilt the canopy by rotation of its suspending side arm, that rotation can only be achieved between fixed latch positions and is therefore of limited convenience.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,152,156 and 6,478,037 to Tung disclose another variation of a sunshade with tiltable canopy, wherein a canopy assembly is suspended from above by an arcuate tube that is hingedly connected to a generally vertically extending support pole. Thus, by adjustment of the hinged interconnection between the arcuate tube and the vertical support pole, the canopy assembly of the Tung '156 and '037 devices can be tilted inwards and outwards from a generally vertically extending orientation. However, this construction appears to only offer a tilt in a single direction away from the generally vertical support pole.